---
title: "Office Fit-Out Cost in Dubai 2026 | City Renovations"
description: "What an office fit-out costs in Dubai in 2026 — indicative per-sqft bands for Cat-A vs Cat-B, by quality tier, what changes the number, and what an itemised BOQ includes."
source: "https://cityrenovations.ae/blog/office-fit-out-cost-dubai-2026/"
---

[Home](https://cityrenovations.ae/) › [Guides](https://cityrenovations.ae/blog/) › Office Fit-Out Cost

Cost Guide

# Office fit-out cost in _Dubai, 2026_.

Indicative per-sqft ranges for a Dubai office fit-out — Cat-A vs Cat-B, by quality tier, and what moves the number.

By **City Renovations team** Published 2026-05-19

This guide is for businesses, office managers and tenant reps budgeting a fit-out in Dubai — DIFC, Business Bay, JLT, Internet City or a free-zone tower. The bands below are indicative planning figures from current UAE commercial work, not a quote. Office fit-out is priced per square foot and driven by specification, MEP load and landlord/authority requirements, so a real number always follows a measured BOQ.

## Indicative per-sqft bands

| Fit-out type | What it covers | Indicative AED / sqft |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Cat-A (base build)** | Raised floor, ceiling grid, basic MEP, finishes to shell | AED 300–500 |
| **Cat-B — standard** | Partitions, workstations zoning, MEP distribution, basic joinery | AED 500–800 |
| **Cat-B — premium** | Bespoke joinery, feature ceilings, AV, glazing, branded spaces | AED 800–1,500+ |
| **Warehouse / industrial** | Epoxy floor, racking-ready, basic office pod, services | AED 150–350 |

Indicative starting ranges — your itemised BOQ is confirmed after a free site visit.

## Cost by office size (Cat-B standard)

| Office | Indicative area | Indicative range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Small suite** | ~1,500 sqft | AED 750,000–1,200,000 |
| **Floor plate** | ~5,000 sqft | AED 2,500,000–4,000,000 |
| **Multi-floor HQ** | 10,000 sqft+ | AED 5,000,000+ |

Indicative starting ranges — your itemised BOQ is confirmed after a free site visit.

## What swings a fit-out budget

-   **Cat-A vs Cat-B.** Whether the landlord delivers a serviced base build or you fit out from shell changes the per-sqft figure substantially.
-   **MEP load.** Server rooms, dense meeting suites and kitchens drive HVAC, power and drainage well beyond an open-plan baseline.
-   **Specification.** Acoustic glazing, bespoke joinery, feature ceilings and AV are the biggest swing items.
-   **Landlord & authority requirements.** Free-zone, DDA, Trakhees or DM/DCD sign-off, plus landlord licence-for-alterations, add programme and cost.
-   **Reinstatement obligations.** Lease make-good clauses are easy to forget at budget stage and real at exit.
-   **Phasing & access.** After-hours work to keep a tower operational carries a premium.
-   **Density.** Headcount per floor sets partitioning, services and furniture intensity.

## What a fit-out BOQ covers

**In the BOQ:** a free site visit, a measured itemised BOQ, RAMS and programme, single-PM delivery, MEP, joinery, flooring and finishes coordinated in-house, DM/DCD/DEWA and landlord NOC handling where the scope requires it, and a written workmanship guarantee with the period stated in handover documents.

**Outside the BOQ:** loose furniture and IT/AV hardware unless specified, statutory and authority fees paid directly, and lease reinstatement unless scoped — we price it explicitly rather than leave it implied.

A delivery note from experience: on occupied towers we sequence noisy and wet trades into after-hours windows agreed with building management before mobilising, so the BOQ reflects the access reality, not an empty-shell assumption. We deliver fit-out as a managed contract under one project manager — not piecemeal trades.

Need a measured BOQ for your space? [See our commercial renovation & office fit-out services](https://cityrenovations.ae/renovation/commercial-renovation-dubai/) or book a free site visit.

## FAQ

What is a realistic per-sqft budget for a Dubai office fit-out in 2026?

As an indicative planning band, a standard Cat-B office fit-out tends to run AED 500–800 per sqft, with premium specifications pushing AED 800–1,500+ and warehouse/industrial work lower. The confirmed figure follows a measured BOQ after a free site visit.

What's the difference between Cat-A and Cat-B for budgeting?

Cat-A is the base build a landlord may deliver — raised floor, ceiling grid, base services. Cat-B is your actual workspace: partitions, joinery, MEP distribution, branding. If you're fitting out from shell you carry both, which is why confirming what the landlord provides is the first budgeting step.

Do you handle DM, Civil Defence and free-zone approvals?

Yes. DM/DCD permit submissions, DEWA coordination, free-zone or DDA/Trakhees sign-off and the landlord licence-for-alterations are handled as part of the project, with RAMS supplied alongside the quote.

Can you work after hours so the office keeps running?

Yes — on occupied buildings we sequence disruptive trades into agreed after-hours windows. That access constraint is built into the programme and the BOQ rather than discovered mid-project.

Should I budget for lease reinstatement now?

It's worth doing. Many Dubai leases require making the space good at exit. We can scope and price reinstatement explicitly so it isn't a surprise at the end of the term.

## Planning a project in Dubai or the UAE?

Book a free site visit and we'll turn this into an itemised, fixed-price quote for your project.

[See commercial fit-out services](https://cityrenovations.ae/renovation/commercial-renovation-dubai/)